The Big 2-0

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I am officially down twenty pounds!! WOW. And the best part is, I'm not even on a real "diet". A friend of mine tipped me off about something that her doctor directed her to, and I decided to give it a try. It turns out that I am a "sugar addict". Not that it's a surprise to me, mind you. Any time I've ever tried to diet, the thing that sunk me fastest on any plan was my sweet tooth. I crave sugar almost constantly, and have all my life.

I picked up a copy of the book "Potatoes, Not Prozac" and the follow up book, "The Sugar Addict's Total Recovery Program". The books were written by Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. Dr. DesMaisons formerly ran an alchohol treatment center, but went on to study and publish work regarding the correlation between nutrition and addiction. Here's what she has to say on the subject of sugar addiction:

"You probably think your sugar addiction is about lack of willpower or discipline or motivation. It is not. It is about your biochemistry. You were born with a body that responds to sugar, alcohol and refined carbohydrates differently than other people. You are sugar sensitive. Sugar acts like a drug in your body. In fact, it affects the very same brain chemicals that morphine, heroin and amphetamines do."

Sugar sensitive people have unstable blood sugar, low serotonin and low beta endorphin. You can use specific dietary changes to stabilize your blood sugar and elevate your serotonin and beta endorphin levels, and that's what I've been doing. The books outline seven steps to follow, and I've been on it about two months now. It's not a rapid weight loss plan, in fact it's not even about the weight loss for me. It's about how very good I feel when I eat this way (and I really do). No more feeling nauseous every morning when I wake up. The "fuzzy brain" that perio-menopause has given me is greatly reduced. My energy level is great, and since I started eating a potato before bed every night (part of the plan), I've slept better than I have in a long while (as long as the kids aren't hogging the bed!)

This whole "finding my new life" thing has been a real process. A good, positive change makes a world of difference to your frame of mind, let me tell you. I just wanted to share something that's really working for me. You can find out more about the program (and find great forum boards and support info) on Dr. DesMaisons site, "Radiant Recovery".